An artwork created by a nine-year-old girl has sold for an eyewatering $100,000 at a charity event in Sydney.
Dubbed ‘Lone Soldier’, the painting depicts the silhouette of an Anzac standing before a grave as the sun sets.
The bidder, Jo Kinghorn told 2GB‘s Ben Fordham she did not expect to wake up that morning and spend $100,000.
“It was so exciting for me I’ve never really experienced anything like that before,” she said.
“With absolute joy and pleasure, I’m just so grateful that the painting ended up in my hands.”
The young artist, Evie Poolman, was diagnosed with diffuse midline glioma a deadly type of brain tumour, also known as DMG.
She underwent four brain surgeries and 30 rounds of radiation for the condition – known as diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) – but passed away in June 2021 less than six months after her diagnosis.
In a bid to raise funds and awareness for DIPG research, Evie’s parents Chuck and Bridget chose to auction off their daughter’s art at a Heels 2 Heal charity lunch.
Kinghorn, a long-time friend of the family’s, said didn’t understand the intensity of DMG when she first learnt of Evie’s diagnosis.
About 20 per cent of child cancer deaths in Australia are attributed to DMG, but the federal government has dedicated less than $1 million to DIPG research since 2015.
Kinghorn said she was grateful to use $100k from her hip pocket to put towards finding a cure.
“It’s a drop in the ocean as to what is needed, and the government has the ability to properly fund these trials,” she explained.
She is now urging the government to put DIPG funding at “the forefront of your conversation”.
“I saw first-hand what this did to a family and the strength of this family is beyond words. I cannot be more proud. It’s just devastating,” she said.
